The use of cameras or, more specifically, a camera unit for detecting the surrounding area of a vehicle, is known from the prior art. Such camera units are used, for example, as parking aids and/or maneuvering aids for motor vehicles, in order to detect, in particular, the areas around the vehicle that cannot be seen with conventional mirrors of motor vehicles.
Document US2013016219 discloses a device for capturing optical information for a vehicle with at least one camera with a protective cover wherein the camera can be pivoted about a pivot axis between a non-operating position and an operating position. The camera is located in a recess of the vehicle such that it is inaccessible from the outside in the non-operating position and in the operating position of the protective element the camera is active for image acquisition. The device has a drive unit for moving the camera unit and the protective element between the two mentioned positions.
The drawback of this arrangement is that when the camera is in an operating position the device negatively affects the aerodynamic behavior of the vehicle.